How to not be tired after long trips?

Long trips are second nature for me because plain and simple, I love to drive. I've been on trips in my own car when I rolled for sixteen, even twenty hours at a time. I once drove from Los Angeles to Fort Stockton Texas in one day. Another time from Jacksonville North Carolina To Marshall Texas. That was the twenty hours. On the truck I adhere to the the DOT regulations.
As others point out, excercise, what you eat and drink, and clothing are important. What you listen to on the audio is a big thing. Some drivers can't listen to soft music while driving. They say it makes them sleepy. I find that some mellow sounds once in a while are a big help. Plus they are invigorating because they ad to the exhilaration of driving. I cherish the memory of the first time I went over the Poconos at night. Low clouds had me going through them here and there. I had New Age (spa sounds) playing on the radio. I felt like I was flying.

 

I have a Pandora station I have built over the last few months which is almost exclusively non-lyrical music, martial or industrial music done with classical instruments or classical instruments with modern instruments as well.

I rarely listen to contemporary music these days, except when it's covered by a band or orchestra with classical instruments.

Here's my Pandora channel if anyone wants to try my music selection to stay awake.

Energy Music

 

I don't have a Pandora set up, but it's interesting. I cut my XM radio subscription a few months back because of the local driving I was having to do. I hope to get back to long haul shortly and may restart it. They have been sending me invitations to rejoin. Lately I've been listening to a hometown FM station or two, my own music library on MP3 and a wide selection on Amazon music. The last one is my favorite. I look up and hear songs that I had forgotten about. I mean stuff that I loved forty years ago and enjoy listening to again.